Patriots Training Camp Observations: Everything We Saw On Day 4

FOXBORO, Mass. — After enjoying a day off, the New England Patriots were back on the field Sunday for what essentially was the final warm-up day of training camp.

Here’s everything we observed at the team’s latest practice:

ATTIRE
Helmets and shells.

With the NFL-mandated ramp-up period now complete, head coach Bill Belichick said the Patriots “probably” will practice in full pads for the first time Monday. Players are expecting it.

“We’re back to real football now,” safety Jalen Mills said after practice. “There’s going to be some thumping out there tomorrow.”

ATTENDANCE
There were two new absences at practice. Both were members of the Patriots’ 2023 draft class: fourth-round center/guard Jake Andrews and sixth-round wide receiver Kayshon Boutte.

It’s tough to judge line play in non-padded practices, so we can’t give an accurate report on how Andrews has performed thus far. Boutte, though, has not distinguished himself. The former top recruit out of LSU has just one catch on three targets in competitive drills since camp began.

Andrews and Boutte were joined on the absent list by receiver/running back Ty Montgomery, guard Mike Onwenu, offensive tackle Calvin Anderson and special teamer Cody Davis.

It was the second straight DNP for Montgomery, who suffered an injury during Thursday’s practice. Ownenu (physically unable to perform list), Davis (PUP) and Anderson (non-football illness list) all have yet to practice this summer, though Davis has attended each session in workout clothes.

Special teamer Cody Davis has watched every camp practice in workout clothes with a sleeve over his left leg. He’s on PUP as he works his way back from a season-ending injury. pic.twitter.com/zYt4JC97zW

— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) July 30, 2023

Third-round rookie linebacker/safety Marte Mapu continued to practice in a red non-contact jersey. Linebacker Terez Hall was limited.

Defensive tackle Christian Barmore was back at practice after missing Friday following the birth of his child.

QB REPORT
Mac Jones: 10-for-14 in 11-on-11s

Bailey Zappe: 12-for-16

Trace McSorley: 9-for-11

ASSORTED OBSERVATIONS
— After exclusively focusing on red-zone work in the first three practices, the Patriots finally moved outside the 20 on Sunday for the first time in camp. The result: the offense’s best practice of the summer.

New England’s three QBs were a combined 31-for-41 (75.6%) in competitive team drills, including some early hurry-up periods that might not have been fully competitive. Two-minute offense was the primary focus Sunday, and with more room to operate than they had on Days 1 through 3, the offense showed encouraging progress.

The top unit continued to struggle once the field shrank, however. Jones’ final five reps all were in the low red zone, and they featured three “sacks” and a near-interception by Christian Gonzalez, who broke up a pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster at the goal line.

— Tight end Mike Gesicki (one) and wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (two) both recorded their first 11-on-11 receptions of camp. Gesicki also had a leaping touchdown catch from Jones on a play that was blown dead.

Thornton still is waiting for his first team-drill reception from Jones, but he had two great ones from Zappe, beating Marcus Jones and rookie Isaiah Bolden for touchdowns on back-to-back reps. Zappe put the ball exactly where he needed to on both plays.

— Overall, it was an impressive showing by New England’s popular backup QB, who also hit wideout Jalen Hurd for another touchdown. Hurd’s TD, which he breezed past Shaun Wade to score, was the play of the day and the first standout moment of camp for the 2019 third-round draft pick, who’s eyeing an NFL comeback after injuries wrecked his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers.

Zappe’s day ended on an ugly note, however. On his final rep, he tried to force a pass to tight end Scotty Washington inside the right pylon that was easily intercepted by Mills.

— Mills said after practice that he allowed a touchdown to Matt Sokol on the same play earlier in camp. He said diligent film study — which is an important part of players’ routines even at this point in the calendar — helped him make the play this time around.

— The Demario Douglas hype train continues to gain steam. The sixth-round rookie — who goes by the nickname “Pop” — caught four of his five targets in team drills Sunday and beat Marcus Jones for a red-zone touchdown. Douglas’ precise route-running — which he used to slip past fellow draftee Isaiah Bolden on one reception — stands out.

All of the Liberty product’s catches came on throws from Zappe, but he’s seen work with Mac Jones and the top offense in every camp practice to date. He’s the prohibitive early favorite to land the fifth spot on the receiver depth chart and could see his role expand if he continues to produce.

— Gonzalez has lived up to his first-round hype thus far, notching pass breakups in three of the first four practices. It would be surprising if he did not open the season as a starting outside cornerback.

— Jack Jones has been under the microscope this summer following his June arrest on gun charges. It remains to be seen whether his legal situation will impact his availability this season, but he’s off to a strong start in camp.

On Sunday, he nearly turned a wide receiver screen from Zappe to Douglas into a pick-six (he settled for a pass breakup) and later saw his most prominent team-period reps of the summer, matching up against Mac Jones and the top offense for the first time. He lined up opposite Gonzalez during the second half of practice.

Jack and Jonathan Jones should be the top contenders for the other starting perimeter cornerback spot, though Marcus Jones also has seen time there in camp.

— Speaking of Marcus Jones, this was a tough practice for the do-everything All-Pro. He allowed touchdowns to Thornton, Douglas and two-year practice squadder Tre Nixon, with Nixon’s and Douglas’ coming on back-to-back plays.

— Our pick for preseason darling who probably won’t make the team: Ed Lee. The undrafted receiver out of Rhode Island caught all six of his targets from third-stringer McSorley on Sunday and has looked solid at other points this spring and summer.

A lot would need to happen for the shifty Lee to become a legit roster candidate, but he’ll at least be a fun player to watch in joint practices and preseason games.

— Onwenu did some conditioning work Sunday and watched part of practice from the sideline. It’s unclear when he’ll be cleared to return following offseason ankle surgery. Bill Murray has been the top-choice right guard in his absence.

— Conor McDermott seems to have overtaken Riley Reiff in the right tackle competition. It’s unclear how free agent pickup Anderson will factor into that battle since he has yet to take the field in camp.

We’ll be closely watching how New England’s tackles fare in pass protection once the pads come on.

— Another player to watch in the first full-contact practice is Matthew Judon. He hasn’t done much of anything in these non-padded sessions, logging only a handful of reps in team drills Sunday.

Judon said last Friday that he, the coaches and the training staff agreed to limit his workload early in camp and “ease into things.”

“We’ve got 90 players out here right now, so that was kind of in the talks,” the Pro Bowl edge rusher said. “We’ve got 90 players. Let’s wait a little bit.”

Judon also reportedly is seeking a contract adjustment, as the average annual value of his current deal ranks a modest 20th among players at his position.

— The first team period of Sunday’s practice was dedicated to punt and punt return, with rookie Bryce Baringer and veteran Corliss Waitman both getting chances to show off their boots. Punter battles don’t generate many training camp headlines, but theirs will be an intriguing one to watch in the coming weeks. Both were bombing the ball in this practice.

Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant and Douglas handled punt-return duties, with sixth-round rookie Ameer Speed notably seeing reps as the personal protector on the punt team. Speed, a kicking game stud in college at Georgia, has dark-horse roster potential as a special teamer.

— During that period, receivers Smith-Schuster, Parker, Thornton and Kendrick Bourne and tight ends Hunter Henry, Gesicki and Anthony Firkser worked with Bill O’Brien and the Patriots’ QBs on a separate field. The focus: two-man pick/rub route concepts in the low red zone, mostly with a receiver split wide and a tight end in the slot.

The Patriots clearly are placing an emphasis on improving their red-zone offense, which ranked dead last in the NFL last season. But the results haven’t been there thus far.

— At the end of practice, the Patriots practiced fielding and receiving pooch kicks, which could become more prevalent under the NFL’s new kickoff rules.

— Rookie kicker Chad Ryland went 5-for-6 on field-goal attempts, with makes between 35 and 47 yards and a miss from around 45. The fourth-round draft pick is looking to unseat steady veteran Nick Folk.

UP NEXT
The Patriots are scheduled to practice every day this week before a likely off-day next Saturday. As mentioned above, Monday’s practice is expected to be fully padded.